The Penguin Book of War

Though the fog of war may hide the scene of battle and muffle its sounds, occasionally a voice breaks through to tell its tale. This anthology collects such testimony. From cultures and locales both familiar and alien come the accounts not just of leaders and distanced observers, but also of combatants and eyewitnesses. Ranging from the ancient Peloponnesian War to the recent conflict in the Gulf, John Keegan's selections include responses both universal and particular, positive and negative; dehumanizing savagery together with nobility, cowardice alongside great courage.